Scoring shouldn’t be a problem for the Mavericks this season. They open training camp Tuesday knowing they have players who can fill up the basket.

But can they defend it?

That’s the No. 1 question coach Rick Carlisle and his staff will have to answer when training camp practices open on Tuesday.

The Mavericks were 12 in field-goal-percentage defense (.445) last season, which doesn’t sound half bad until you factor in they were 27 in points allowed (101.7) and 18 in points allowed per possession (1.21).

Add them up and they were losing numbers, which is why the Mavericks failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

“Our emphasis is going to be the defensive end,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got to be more solid. I can’t tell you exactly where we have to get in terms of rank or any of that stuff. But we have to be much improved over last year, we know that. I think the pieces we’ve put together, we have some good offensive talent and skill and so we got to get more solid defensively.”

The defense will start with center Samuel Dalembert, who Carlisle is quick to point out won’t have to shoulder all of the load. As with Tyson Chandler when he was with the Mavericks in 2011, a helping defense will be stressed, particularly with guards Jose Calderon and Monte Ellis not exactly being known for their sticky defense.

They have to know where to funnel offensive players so that they can get the help from Dalembert or Shawn Marion. And on the pick and roll, it will be up to the guards to make sure open midrange shots are kept to a minimum.

But Dalembert, who is coming off a couple of seasons when his playing time diminished significantly, will have to be the last line of defense.

“I don’t see any reason why he can’t have a substantial impact with his size and length,” Carlisle said. “He’s worked hard this summer to get himself into shape and he knows we’re depending on him. But it’s not just going to fall on one big guy. We’re going to have to be a scrambling team that’s smart at that end.”

Or it’s not going to work.

The idea of not having great defensive players so resigning yourself to the inevitability that you’re going to be a crummy defensive team holds no water. Carlisle and Co. turned Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki into a strong enough defensive tandem that the Mavericks won a championship. The want-to, along with the confidence that they have two pretty salty defenders in Marion and Dalembert, is going to be the determining factor on whether the Mavericks can stop anybody.

We’re not talking about stopping the Heat or the Thunder every night. Everybody struggles to do that.

And by the way, we’re not talking about stopping the Kings, Pelicans and Jazz, either. The Mavericks were 16-7 against the West’s other non-playoff teams last season, which isn’t off the charts but isn’t bad, either.

What they must do is defend better against their prime competition. Throwing out San Antonio and Oklahoma, against whom the Mavericks were 0-8 last season, and Houston, which figures to join the elite this season with Dwight Howard, they have to do a better job against the Lakers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Warriors and Nuggets.

They were 5-12 against that fivesome last season. And those are exactly the teams they figure to be fighting with this season for a playoff spot.

Defense is the only way to combat those teams, which is why it is Job One for Carlisle as camp opens.

Three things to watch

Health

It’s not just Dirk Nowitzki, who has worked as hard as anyone in off-season to make sure his knee problem of last season is not a trend. Shawn Marion is getting older, and he still depends largely on athleticism to make plays. Vince Carter is the same way. The health of that trio will go a long way toward determining whether the Mavericks are playoff-worthy this season.

Defense

They either get better at it or doom themselves to irrelevance. There wasn’t much applause when they traded for Tyson Chandler before the 2010-11 season, and there was even less of a ripple when they got Samuel Dalembert this summer. But he will be a significant piece of the puzzle, as will DeJuan Blair and Brandan Wright, the other centers who must contribute.

Improvement

Believe it or not, the Mavericks have a core of young talent that needs to take the next step. It’s not enough this season for Jae Crowder, Wayne Ellington, DeJuan Blair, Brandan Wright and Bernard James to be bit players. Some of them are going to have to be bigger contributors. And it would be a bonus to get something out of rookies Gal Mekel, Shane Larkin and Ricky Ledo.

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